Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Cozumel

For one person, living is cheaper in Cozumel: $1,157 a month against $2,689 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $18,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

128

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in Cozumel
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Cozumel Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,689

/mo nomad

Cozumel

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,157

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Cozumel

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Austin, TX and in Cozumel actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,689 in Austin, TX versus $1,157 in Cozumel.

Austin, TX $2,689
Cozumel $1,157

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,112 in Austin, TX versus $1,819 in Cozumel.

Austin, TX $4,112
Cozumel $1,819

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,534 in Austin, TX versus $2,481 in Cozumel.

Austin, TX $5,534
Cozumel $2,481

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 132% more expensive than in Cozumel, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 99% above, Cozumel is 14% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.34 $21.34

$8.54 MX$160

149.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.9 $87.9

$43.83 MX$820

100.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.44 $12.44

$8.26 MX$154

50.61%

Cappuccino

$5.60 $5.60

$2.81 MX$52.5

99.29%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.65 $3.65

$1.11 MX$20.68

228.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 $2.39

$0.93 MX$17.47

156.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.82 $7.82

$1.63 MX$30.54

379.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.75 $8.75

$3.01 MX$56.3

190.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.39 MX$26.00

-19.42%

White Bread (500g)

$3.62 $3.62

$1.60 MX$29.88

126.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.50 $3.50

$1.68 MX$31.48

108.33%

Eggs

$4.45 $4.45

$1.89 MX$35.31

135.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.18 $13.18

$9.97 MX$186

32.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.94 $13.94

$7.80 MX$146

78.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.46 $16.46

$12.14 MX$227

35.58%

Apples (1kg)

$4.73 $4.73

$2.46 MX$45.93

92.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 $1.50

$1.37 MX$25.70

9.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.64 $4.64

$2.09 MX$39.18

122.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.52 $4.52

$1.52 MX$28.49

197.37%

Potato (1kg)

$2.55 $2.55

$2.25 MX$42.11

13.33%

Onion (1kg)

$2.39 $2.39

$1.74 MX$32.49

37.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.84 $1.84

$1.47 MX$27.52

25.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 $2.13

$1.10 MX$20.63

93.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.05 $10.05

$4.33 MX$80.9

132.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.88 $14.88

$10.81 MX$202

37.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 $2.82

$1.44 MX$26.89

95.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 $3.29

$2.50 MX$46.68

31.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.23 $1.23

$0.67 MX$12.52

83.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.43 $41.43

$30.41 MX$569

36.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.68 $2.68

$2.67 MX$49.88

0.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 $1.63

$3.02 MX$56.4

-46.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.20 $35.20

$8.86 MX$166

297.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.34 MX$25.09

-26.87%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$34.4K $34.4K

$20.2K MX$378.6K

69.86%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$26.8K $26.8K

$22.9K MX$429.3K

16.84%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$252 $252

$57.5 MX$1,075

338.97%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$59.8 $59.8

$20.06 MX$375

198.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.7 $69.7

$21.74 MX$407

220.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.4 $60.4

$37.37 MX$699

61.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.14 $18.14

$19.59 MX$366

-7.40%

Cinema Ticket

$13.75 $13.75

$5.94 MX$111

131.48%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,458 $1,458

$258 MX$4,828

464.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.6K $26.6K

$3,536 MX$66.1K

651.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 $52.6

$54.1 MX$1,011

-2.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 $45.76

$52.8 MX$987

-13.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.5 $85.5

$101 MX$1,889

-15.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 $106

$84.1 MX$1,572

25.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,195 $2,195

$585 MX$10.9K

274.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,269 $1,269

$428 MX$8,011

196.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,000 $4,000

$1,582 MX$29.6K

152.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,406 $2,406

$758 MX$14.2K

217.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,381 $7,381

$1,921 MX$35.9K

284.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,964 $2,964

$1,140 MX$21.3K

160.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,043 $5,043

$635 MX$11.9K

694.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

11.64

-41.41%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Austin, TX: November 2, 2026

Last update for Cozumel: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.2%

Cozumel

$428 37% 66.2% $841

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$407 15.2%

Cozumel

$249 21.5% 38.8% $158

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$382 14.2%

Cozumel

$99 8.6% 74% $282

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$356 13.2%

Cozumel

$149 12.9% 58.1% $207

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$130 4.9%

Cozumel

$131 11.4% 0.8% $1

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$88 3.3%

Cozumel

$49 4.3% 43.9% $39

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.1%

Cozumel

$51 4.4% 11.1% $6.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,195 in Austin, TX and $585 in Cozumel. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays about 7.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $88 in Austin, TX vs $44 in Cozumel for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $407 vs $249 per month, with Cozumel cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇲🇽 Cozumel

🕒 Local time

10:01 10:01 AM

11:01 11:01 AM

1 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

77,236

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.7 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 21.01 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Austin, TX Cozumel 1,540 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Cozumel

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Austin, TX vs Cozumel: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cozumel wins on cost – living expenses run 57% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Cozumel the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Austin, TX is about 7.9 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,195 in Austin, TX versus $585 in Cozumel. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $2,689 per month in Austin, TX versus $1,157 in Cozumel – Cozumel is about 57% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Cozumel runs roughly 27% less than in Austin, TX. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $1,157 in Cozumel versus $2,689 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Cozumel but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Cozumel the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Cozumel gentler on the wallet – expenses run 57% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.